Want To Learn How To Sing? Incubus - Drive - No Reverb!

in #music6 years ago (edited)

This video made my morning. Everything about this performance is authentic. What I mean by authentic is everything sounds EXACTLY like it does in my living room - coming out of my amps - or coming out of my mouth.

A lot of people never knew they could sing - until they stepped into a studio. When recording - you dont have to sing on key all the time - your tone doesn't have to be great (Brittney Spears) and even your timing can be adjusted or the instrument you are playing can be re tracked. The finished product after "mixing" usually sounds significantly different than what you would have hear in the singing booth -or how the electric guitar would sound with no volume and no effects.

Not all of us are born able to sing like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Ray Chales or Brian McKnight - most of us would be content to master 2 octaves of our voice. When you are not prodigious and you are called to be a musician - it's very easy to become discouraged - to quit for a while - to switch instruments - to stop singing along. Its not a job - if you dont play at bars - your only motivation is enjoyment or perhaps meditation. Even as a closet musician - sometimes you find yourself in that place where you wonder if you are good enough - you compare yourself to others and become disappointed.

When I found this Incubus video - and I heard the riff start up - I knew that it was going to be a raw performance - I was terrified to hear the guys voice. When he started singing I listened for a few seconds and had to rewind it and play it again. Then I watched the whole thing in disbelief. The entire song is him REALLY singing and the band REALLY playing with no filters. This is what makes a musicians day - when you see the humanity of the performer. He hits all the notes perfectly - but it certainly doesn't sound like it does on the album - it makes him sound almost human.

We all have our unique gifts. While Brian Mcknight may make you want to quit singing because you'll never be as good as him - remember why you are singing to begin with. Many of us are embarrassed by the weaker parts of our musicianship - we close the doors and windows and sing quietly along to whatever we are playing.

As you can see in this video - singing quietly is not how you hit all the notes. Its impossible to sing if youre tense. If you are like me and your not really sure why you like to sing and play along to a song - forget about finding meaning - forget about everyone around you - your brain benefits from your musician ship. Being a musician increases your concentration and memory, math abilities,sense of time, co-ordination, creativity and your ability to relax. It also teaches you to breath, enhances your listening skills, builds discipline and exposes you to different cultures. Being a musician is a lifelong journey - continuing to play requires incredible perseverance. Professional musicians have the same self doubts because music is a unique experience that involves our senses.

If you ever feel like you suck and you need inspiration - look for live versions of songs where the artist actually sounds live.

Ryan Geddes is a writer and entreprenuer located in Toronto Canada. When he's not writing, hes helping with House&Canvas Furniture Paint.

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Totally agree - live music communicates so much more. We need these raw videos. My eldest son is just discovering the difference, I took him to a concert last year in the street, the band was not great, but he 'felt' the power of the real thing for the first time. I notice now that he sometimes chooses concert videos rather than studio recorded #keepmusiclive

This post has been upvoted and picked by Daily Picked #43! Thank you for the cool and quality content. Keep going!

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I keep coming back to this post. amazing.

and it just happened again, it's like you paid for every bot vote that there is going. fantastic!

Have I offended you in some way?

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How is this not copyright infringement?

Are you talking about the 1000 word essay or the link to YouTube I clearly give credit?

I suggest you google "copyright infringement" to see what it actually means.

It’s always refreshing to hear a real voice! Love this!

If you're a singer it probably made you less self-conscious for a minute.. His voice sounds weak in the verses without any effects. For me - once he hit the chorus - I could see him pulling the microphone away from his mouth - I could almost feel his diaphragm pushing out those notes. Guys with a higher voice should be listening to this one.

this is awesome!! wow! and funny how the song relates to the topic of this post

that being said, I could never sing like that :/

Surely two things you have to take into account: Talent & hard working. This band is recognized from both, and Brandon is an amazing singer and performer. Congratulations for this article, keep on rocking!

Thanks.. I've always like incubus.. they are one of the few bands from that era that actually can play (their guitarist is really good as well).. He hits all the high notes - even if it keeps you on the edge of your seat!

The vocalist is merger Chris Cornell with Anthony Kiedis

Love both of those guys too.. especially Chris Cornell...

I prefer live music over studio recorded stuffs. There is this natural connection

Its funny - sometimes I can't remember what the studio recording sounds like because I have a favorite live performance that becomes THE version in my memory.. Like when Peal Jam did "Black" unplugged... This is THE vocal version of that tune in my mind:

This was really moving <3 it was the first song I tried to learn on the guitar when I was 14. I eventually quite because of depression and poor skills in general, this took me back, thanks

3:10 I love the improve sections make it feel different, it's a weird song to sing as it sounds like Brandon is singing very low, but when he hit's the chorus it's a completely different ton in the vocal. I found myself croaking a couple of times singing this live. You sing it loud from the start